Jason Thompson enjoys telling his story as much as the kids listening to it like to hear it.

Thompson, the Rider University star turned NBA lottery pick, is becoming more and more of a spokesman and not just for the NBA, or his Sacramento Kings, which are both currently in a lockout.

The big man from South Jersey is giving back and he's starting with the youth of the area, who he knows can learn the way he did when he was a young man with the dream of one day making it to the top.

"I'm just showing some love for the kids,'' Thompson said. "I remember when I was a kid and going to different camps and listening to guys who were in the NBA or played big-time college ball.

That means a lot to a kid. It meant a lot to me. It would lift up my day. Who knew one day it would be me on the other side?''

Thompson will spend tonight at Moody Park talking to the some of the best players in the Mercer County area.

Next week, beginning Monday, he will host a five-day basketball camp designed to improve the skill level of young basketball players between the ages of seven and 16 at the Life Center Sports Complex in Burlington County not too far from where he grew up in Mount Laurel.

Thompson's camp is part of the National Basketball Academy, a professional basketball training organization.

Founded by Shane Kline-Ruminski and Mike Heines in 2003, the Basketball Academy offers basketball skill training for individuals and teams through a variety of standard and custom training programs for professional, collegiate, high school and youth athletes.